Knights v Dragons Post Match Thread

[antonius]

A thread for all your after match thoughts, and disscussion.

 

[Risa]

Frustrating...very very frustrating. I'm so over us getting so close, but still yet so far away from that glorious win. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Me not happy tonight lol.

 

[Johns Magic]

Bah! I really think we should have won. Why can't we maintain the intensity we saw at the end for a full 80 minutes?

 

[Risa]

God knows. I'm hopefull for the Broncos game...Johns, Buderus, Kidley, Simpson, Seage all back. Hell, that has to make some kinda difference you'd think.

 

[Mut]

The mut watched your feeble team run a round and the mut has few issues to bring up.

1. The muts feels that Jarrod Mullen is going to be a star. Cannot wait till he puts on more weight and starts to take on the line more. The mut feels that Dane Campbell is going to be a very competent 1st grade halfback. Well Done...

2. Mark Hughes offers the team nothing and it is a crying shame because the mut feels he used to be so good. Time to retire back to Cessnock or Kurri or wherever it is he comes from.

3. Josh Perry is just a dead set f**king idiot. How can someone with so much talent running the ball be such a dumb stupid footballer? D.U.M.B

4. You will have 3 players suspended next game in Smith, Perry and Woolnough.

5. Reagan Tanner looks a good player. Woolnough is the most underrated foward in the NRL, like seeing him play 2nd row. Newton is a spectacular runner of the ball. Have alot of time for him, shame about his old man having one arm though, so does the drummer from Def Leppard you know...

6. Mark Gidley is still a quality player in the NRL and any person that writes him off should take a look at themselves. He made Tahu, now look at him! The mut thinks he has more rep football in him.

7. Ball security is abysmal, best highlighted by white and Snowden. Snowden looks the goods when he is just running the ball, Mut thinks he should not force to unload the football.

The mut supports the mighty Tigers, but the mut likes the knights because he likes struggling sides that try hard. Look at Souths, sh*t team but no heart, the knights are a sh*t team but with loads of it.

The mut congratulates the Newcastle Knights on an honest performance. From the outside looking in, the mut would be proud of a tigers performance like that.

Talk soon...

Woooo! Get some mut up ya!

 

[Bring it home Knights]

Mark Gidley is still a quality player in the NRL

hmmmm

we played so hard and I'm rwally proud of the boys. Newton was our best without a doubt. Our support play was a little better under the care taker coach, but we still need to improve that area.

Snowden IMO is not ready for first grade yet.

 

[Risa]

On a lighter note, I was a bit scared when I saw Tanner going to kick a goal. I never knew he could kick. But, I was very surprised, he absolutely nailed them!

 

[Jono078]

Same with me, must have felt similar to how Seymour was last week.

 

[Doctor]

Snowden IMO is not ready for first grade yet.

I think he is -- he's just lost a lot of confidence from being shifted around all the time. He made silly errors tonight -- nothing that a bit of patience and experience won't sort out.

Snowden set a theme for the night, I thought: so many unripe players out there, playing together at once. Most of them will comfortably maintain a first-grade career for the next 5 to 10 years, it's just that they're all being forced to make-up what is a makeshift side.

The Positives:

1. I thought the two centres were tremendous -- Gidley and Carmont kept trying, and succeeding. Both scored tries, and deserve recognition for their largely mistake-free performances.

2. Clint Newton had an exceptional game. When Roopy gets the KOTW thread up on the forum, Newton will be my hands-down winner. He maintained his intensity all game, and the proof was in the pudding when:
a) things started getting heated, he was the only forward not involved.
b) when we desperately needed metres in the final minute, Newton was the only forward with the commitment and fitness to at least try to get in and have a dig.

As I said: exceptional, amidst a pretty undisciplined sort of display from his teammates.

3. The halves are still building up some experience. Mullen showed more of his talents this week, and Campbell seemed to be still keeping control. Their kicking game wasn't great, but I figure it's difficult to get any rhythm if you're only getting 50% of the kicking opportunities you should. What let us down was mistakes by our forwards

The Negatives:

1. As mentioned above: the ball-security was atrocious. This is an area that can be worked on, as opposed to blaming it on the lack of personnel. Mistakes from Snowden and co can be forgiven. But Perry and co were embarrassing.

2. Speaking of Perry, he was easily the chief offender in penalties. I've said it for years, but it wouldn't matter if Perry was making 15 metres every time he had the ball, while ever he is giving away cheap penalties. If a penalty costs us 50 metres, then Perry needs to be making up the difference if he is to be of any worth to us.

3. Some pretty ordinary refereeing decisions. I don't think I've mentioned the referee all season, which is unusual because many fans would blame the referee for losses. I thought he had a significant bearing on the match tonight. Someone on here said recently that we'll have to get used to crap referees for the simple fact that we're considered a crap team now. Tonight's display by Referee Hayne was an example of a crap referee, putting in a crap performance which hurt a crap side.

4. But, despite point number 3, it was our sheer lack of talent that lost us the match. We were always behind where we needed to be. I think the last 2 minutes of the match proved one thing: the Knights don't lack spirit, they simply just don't have the quality in their troops.

 

[Risa]

It seemed too when Campbell was sent off that it should have been Quigley.

 

[Alex28]

If anyone deserves criticism tonight, it is the selection committee that time and time again leaves no options on the bench for injuries in the backs. Quinn and Hughes were passengers for the majority of the second half tonight (Hughes for the majority of the game), yet they had to stay on the field because there is simply no other option available.

Again our discipline has come back to bite us fair on the arse - too many mistakes, too many penalties means too much possession and ground given to the Dragons. The Dragons were ordinary and lazy tonight - the game was there for the taking...and we nearly got it.

Two blokes that need to stay in the squad when the majority of the injured players come back (which should be after the bye) is Jarrod Mullen (really impressed tonight - took control of the attack in the second half and guided the team pretty well for an 18 year old. The kid is going to be a superstar - hope we have him stitched up for a long time) and Milton Thaiday (attack is good and only going to get better, defence is impressive).

This is going to be hard to say...George Carmont had a pretty decent game tonight. He not only defended well - he got really involved in the defence too. It was almost as though he had something to prove tonight (which he did...maybe he reads the forum?). A few mistakes (like that pass in the Dragons 20 in the first few minutes), but the try was a cracker and made some crucial ground.

I thought Matt Gidley had a really good game tonight - lead from the front in defence and attack - if only he could have held onto the ball at the end of the first half - we may have been celebrating a win rather than commiserating yet another loss tonight.

The forwards...defended very well tonight only to let themselves down time and time and time again with stupid errors and ill discipline. Perry wont be around for a few weeks - again. If this guy stays on next year, it should be for match payments and for a year contract only. He needs to prove to the club that he is fair dinkum about his career and that he can control himself on the field. Craig Smith shouldn't be suspended - there really wasn't anything in that tackle (definately started at the chest and slipped up), but his poor past will put him out for a few weeks at least. I don't know what Wooly was sited for - surely not the "late hit" on the kicker in the second half?

Clint Newton had a great game - he is making up for lost time and proving the clubs loyalty to him is just. I think Kade Snowden is ready for first grade - but think about it...the poor kid has started his NRL career in a losing culture where the club is desperate for a win. Desperate times lead to desperate measures and desperate play. The few mistakes he makes a game is only him trying to create something - as long as he learns from this he will become a great second rower.

The halves went OK tonight - Dane is really only going to be an honest footballer but not anything special. Jarrod Mullen on the other hand, is going to be a superstar - great kicking game, good passing game which is already finding gaps in NRL games after 2 matches, honest defender. I implore the Knights management - move Kidley to the centres and give this kid the rest of the year playing next to Andrew Johns. It will be the making of him.

Where to now...take the week off, get over some of these niggling injuries, have a long hard think about selection - for the love of god please pick another option for the backs on the bench (where is John Morris when we need him most) and seriously think about leaving Jarrod Mullen where he is. I think we will struggle against the Broncos depending on Origin selections (is it 3 weeks between matches now or still 2?) and with the bulk of our front rowers under suspension.

We are getting closer, but they will keep losing if they keep letting themselves down with basis errors and really poor discipline.

 

[RufusRex]

I thought the ref was pretty ordinary too .. especially the strip after the tackle was complete from carmont that led to the first try ...


Also Campbell was unlucky to be binned .. it should have been Quigley ... but it really shouldnt have been either .. was a pretty soft decision.

 

[rock_on_knights]

ahhhhhh how annoying i am so upset

Although......Matt Gidley had a good game

 

[Ben]

Disappointing but see a few positives from the loss. Id also like to highlight that four out of our last six loses have been by four points or less, so i got a good feeling in two weeks time especially with johns and co coming back.

Jarrod Mullen has to be the five-eigth, i can see a lot of reasons of why hagan will put kidley there but mullen is the future of the club. As for Tanner, we seem to have the knights luke covell. Offers nothing in attack but can kick goals. Snowden is ready for first grade and i hope he can cement in a bench spot. Same as mullen he is the future of the club and should be in first grade to learn all that he can. One thing i'm curious about him is he seems to amble up to the line and doesnt hit the line at speed like white does. I was getting the impression that he was quick by other people saying that he was scoring 100m tries outrunning wingers. But unless hes extremely lazy, id like him to hit the line harder more often. What amazes me is his defence. He put on some solid hits and was hoping for more all game, but it seems they stopped running to him.

 

[Johns Magic]

i can see a lot of reasons of why hagan will put kidley there

Really? I can't.

 

[Gene Krupa]

Mut, get a dog up ya!

 

[mat_parsons]

11 weeks and counting...

 

[Big_Bad_Shark_Fan]

. As for Tanner, we seem to have the knights luke covell. Offers nothing in attack but can kick goals.

I am sorry? Luke Covell offers nothing in attack????? Did you run around Donald and beat Stewart to the line in round 2? Or outleap El Masri in round 3 to score? Or do a miraculous pick up in round 4 vs parra? not to mention brilliant pace to come through and snatch the ball uot of Bowens hands and race round under the posts for another try. Not to mention his kciking game which has set up many tries this year including one of the tries of the year vs melbourne, setting up nigel vagana. On top of that he has made many line breaks and is very safe under the high ball and can do some unbelievable takes wich seriously the way he flies through the air a plane would be proud of.

BTW Rep teams dont pick players who offer nothing.

 

[Nuke]

I haven't seen the game yet, but I was thinking after I learnt of the result: That's now 5 games this season we've lost by 4 points or less. If we'd won all of those games, we'd be on 12 competition points heading into next weekend's bye. That would put us in about 7th or 8th position. Our heads and confidence would be up, and all this negativity would be non-existent (well, a lot of it anyway).

Just the way it goes I guess. Frustrating none-the-less though.

 

[Jobdog]

I cannot fault the effort the boys put in. In all seriousness, that was the proudest I have been of them all year. They really could not have done much more to win that game. IMHO we should have won 16-14. The two penalty goals in the second half that the Dragons got were an absolute disgrace. Even allowing for one of those to be fair dinkum we would have been headed into golden point. That would hav been a different story because we were coming home with a wet sail. The reverse-penalty against Woolnough for his "late tackle" on the five-eight, well that will deadset do me. If Manu doesn't come in and start wrestling with Wooly, u don't hear any more about it. Last week they were penalising the 3rd player into a "fraca", now this week, Hayne "awards" a penalty for trying to start a fight. Hayne made Archer and Lyons look like superstars last night.